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janinevduijn's review against another edition
3.0
A selection of assays on how great advances in physics impacted philosophy. I found it entertaining but it remained quite surface level, I did not really learn something new from this.
pluto_kat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
toniclark's review
4.0
Very much enjoyed! Easy to understand and easy to listen to— great narrator (BronsonPinchot). I loved listening to this. Sometimes I listened to a chapter over again.
nevadaishome's review against another edition
3.0
Liked the balance of the book. Really good except for last 10 pages which are just a diatribe on millennials’ toxic addiction to technology. Kind of had Luddite vibes.
shewwimonster's review against another edition
2.0
This was not what I was expecting, and while it was a nice light read, I wanted it to be a lot more than what it was. There's very little science, and that was my biggest disappointment. I also wanted more space (or at least more physics), though that was my fault for not reading the back of the book carefully enough.
par4dox's review
2.0
short and not that informative
The writing was solid and clear and easy to read. The content however was quite short and none of the topics presented were anything new to me so I didn't get a lot out of it. Beware of the old man rant about smartphones at the end.
The writing was solid and clear and easy to read. The content however was quite short and none of the topics presented were anything new to me so I didn't get a lot out of it. Beware of the old man rant about smartphones at the end.
ashcomb's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure if I can review this book. Not in a proper sense. As I read it, my mind kept wandering on things, being only able to pick up a thought here and there. It was like a stream-of-consciousness meeting another. The book is composed of several essays published before. They handle subjects like religion, limits of our knowledge, art, symmetry, and our need for meaning. The book asks a question: what if this is just an accidental universe?
Yet here we are, governed by the laws of nature, forming our beliefs about it while trying to fulfill our spiritual needs. Those laws that have made it possible for life to exist. To some, the answer to such pondering stems from a supreme being or intention, but to others, the answer lies in physics. Alan Lightman argues that our science is limited to answering all our questions. He takes a jab at Richard Dawkins and his argumentation even when Lightman himself is an atheist (if I understood correctly.) It's just that he doesn't care for Dawkins's argumentation.
This is not a pure physics book, even when Lightman is a theoretical physicist. Instead, this is more of ruminations about life and living. It's beautifully written and compelling, but as I wrote, it flowed past me, not really sticking. Who knows why? Still, it was a nice little book about the meaning of existing according to physics.
Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day <3
Yet here we are, governed by the laws of nature, forming our beliefs about it while trying to fulfill our spiritual needs. Those laws that have made it possible for life to exist. To some, the answer to such pondering stems from a supreme being or intention, but to others, the answer lies in physics. Alan Lightman argues that our science is limited to answering all our questions. He takes a jab at Richard Dawkins and his argumentation even when Lightman himself is an atheist (if I understood correctly.) It's just that he doesn't care for Dawkins's argumentation.
This is not a pure physics book, even when Lightman is a theoretical physicist. Instead, this is more of ruminations about life and living. It's beautifully written and compelling, but as I wrote, it flowed past me, not really sticking. Who knows why? Still, it was a nice little book about the meaning of existing according to physics.
Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day <3